Seven-hour rail journey is BA's newest in-flight film

British Airways is inviting passengers to watch footage of a seven-hour train
journey from Bergen to Oslo to stave off boredom on long-haul flights

Considering the shrinking attention span of many Britons, for whom entertainment is best served in 140 characters or fewer, BA's latest in-flight film pick is likely to raise a few eyebrows.

From next week, those flying with the airline will be able to watch - alongside blockbusters such as Anchorman 2 - a seven-hour train journey from Bergen to Oslo.

The film - shot from the front of a train travelling between the two Norwegian cities - is being used to launch BA's "Slow TV" genre, and the airline is hoping it will prove popular with those in search of something "hypnotic and calming".

Should it be a success, the series could be expanded to include "knitting, a walk in the park, and everyone's favourite - bird feeding."

"It fits perfectly with the 'wallpaper' style footage people find mesmerising in-flight, such as our moving maps which customers watch for endless hours," said a spokesman.

The Seven Hour Train Journey to Oslo - an excerpt from which is shown above - was originally screened on the Norwegian television network NRK, and was a surprise hit, with an estimated one million viewers tuning in at some stage of the broadcast.

The route from Oslo to Bergen is known as one of the world's most scenic. Anthony Lambert, Telegraph Travel's rail expert, said: "Few European railways traverse such desolate mountain terrain as this 310-mile line. It is the highest mainline railway in northern Europe, reaching the Hardangervidda plateau at 4,060ft, and for nearly 60 miles it is above the tree line, in terrain with few signs of human life."